The incident occurred shortly before 8pm as Samantha Jervis, 31, of 559 Block 22, Wismar, Linden, was closing up her business. A suspect was subsequently arrested by police.
Jervis said that while closing the shutters of her shop, S&L Variety, she heard dogs barking uncontrollably. “At first I thought that it was some animal or something, so I stay here and keep looking when I see this man coming towards me from the side of the house,” the woman recollected. She said that she immediately started screaming out for neighbours to call the police but her shouts did not discourage the man from proceeding. “With all I was screaming he still walk up closer and keep telling me don’t make a sound, don’t make a sound and he pull out a gun and I still keep screaming.” Jervis became worried as the man moved into the shop, where her two-year-old daughter was alone at the time. “I crump up in the corner at the fence to see what he was going to do. I thought he was going to hold my daughter hostage because I never stop screaming.”
Without laying a finger on the little girl, the bandit went to the drawer where Jervis kept her cash and emptied its contents before making his escape through the backyard, where he had removed a few paling staves to gain entry. She was not clear as to the sum that was taken but estimated it to be about $30,000.
Neighbours responded to the woman’s call for help by immediately summoning the Wismar police. A male neighbour also came out to give assistance. He chased the man but retreated after he learnt that he was armed with a gun. No shots were fired during the episode.
It was only after the woman was convinced that the bandit had fled the scene that she decided to call her husband, Leslie Jervis, with whom she made an official report at the Wismar Police Station. While there, they were told by a rank that a squad was already dispatched to the location, having receiving the report from a neighbour. After an investigation, police arrested a man believed to have been linked to the robbery. He is currently in custody at the Wismar Police Station assisting with further investigations.
The Jervis’ have been operating the variety shop, which is situated in the same compound as their home, since 2007. They had never been the victims of a robbery before. On an average day, the couple is usually assisted by a female employee. She had the day off on Monday. (Cathy Richards)
